Magnetic writing instrument

ABSTRACT

A magnetic writing instrument having an outer surface thereof magnetized, the rearward end of said instrument being magnetized, said instrument having a recess in its rearward section and extending to its rearward end in which a cylindrical portion of an automobile gear selector lever can be received.

United States Patent 1191 Hodkin 1 1 MAGNETIC WRITING INSTRUMENT [76] Inventor: Thomas W. Hodkin, 301 N. 7th St.,

Council Bluffs, Iowa [22] Filed: Apr. 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 244,090

[52] U.S. Cl 401/52, 401/292, 335/303 [51] Int. Cl B43k 29/00 [58] Field of Search 401/52, 195;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Zelinger 401/52 [4 1 Jan. 15,1974

2,171,188 Morris 401/195 X 3,212,546 10/1965 Lind 335/303 X 2,508,075 5/1970 Morris 401/52 Primary ExaminerLawrence Charles Attorney-Hiram A. Sturges 57 ABSTRACT A magnetic writing instrument having an outer surface thereof magnetized, the rearward end of said instrument being magnetized, said instrument having a recess in its rearward section and extending to its rearward end in which a cylindrical portion of an automobile gear selector lever can be received.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures I 1 MAGNETIC WRITING INSTRUMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of writing instruments which are adapted to be secured to objects for their storage and particularly to ball point pens adapted to be used in automobiles and provided with means for storing them in automobiles.

DESCRIPTION OF THEP-RIOR ART Heretofore pens have had many devices on them for facilitating their storage in pockets with clips for attaching pens to the edges of pockets, etc.

However, it is a common experience that a man finds himself in his car wishing he had a pen at hand but find ing that the pen or pens which he usually uses are at home and not with him when he needs them.

- Another common experience is that a man is in his car needing a pen but the only pen he has with him is, for example, in his trouser pocket where it is inconvenient to quickly grip while he is sitting down.

SUMMARY or THE INvENTIoN A magnetic writing instrument,-,such as a ball point pen, having an outer surface thereof magnetized, the rearward endof the'instrument being magnetized .so

that itcan be attached to the under sideofla metallic dashboard, by causing its rearwardmost end to be in magnetic engagement with the dashboard as the, pen.

hangs vertically under the dashboard.

The pen further having a recessfin its rearward section and extending to its rearward end in which a cylindrical portion of an automobile gear selectorlever can be received at a time when the pen is disposed above the cylindrical portion and in alignment therewith as seen in top plan view, but has an inclinathereto as seen, in side elevation, the recess being including from a larger rearward end to a small' or forward end, and being larger in cross section at its rearward end and tapering in gradually lesser andlesser'cross section to its forward end along a distance of 2 or 3 inches, most sur- I faces of the pen which bound the recess being magnetized for gripping the selector lever cylindrical surface,

the surfaces bounding the recess being in two planes and merging towards each other at an obtuse angle Those portions of the pen which bound the recess being called the liner member, and the pen having a permanent magnet member disposed inwardly of the pen from the liner member, and in engagement with the liner member and received in the remainder of the body of the pen so that the outer surfaces ofthe pen are continuous and smooth. A modification in which the I forward third of the pen is of substantially smaller cross sectional size than the rearward third and :which preferablythe outer surface tapers gradually from the rear-.

ward endforwardlyto the forward end of the recess and beyond provide a smooth outer surface with the forward portion easy to grip, in the fingers and a rearward portion which is larger for receiving a larger;se-

lector lever.

. pens.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG.'l is a rear elevation of an automobile gear selector lever with the left end portion thereof broken away and showing the writing instrument of this invention magnetically secured thereto.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the instrument of this invention shown with its forward portion removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a ferrous magnetizable liner of the invention as seen from the top and rear.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a backing member of the invention as seen from the top and rear.

FIG. 5 is a rear end elevation of the instrument of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the instrument in vertical position secured to the underside of a metallic dashboard of an automobile which latter is diagrammatically shown.

FIG. 7'is an exploded .view of an alternative embodiment.

DESCRIPTION or THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT I The magnetic pen of this invention is generally indicated at 10 in FIG. I and is shown as magnetically at-- to an opening 20 at theforward tip of the housing from which a ball 26 protrudes in the manner of all ball-point The forward section 16 has an outer housing 32, which latter has a recess 36 in its rearward end, the

' walls of which are threaded, as seen at 38,.for receiving threadedlythe threads 44 of a forward end portion 46 of the casing 48 of the rearward end section 14 of the pen, the ,forward end portion 46 of therearward end section 14 being of a lesser general size or diameter than theparts of the casing 48 of the rearward end section 14 which are closest to the forward end portion 46, whereby when the forward and rearward sections of the pen are screwed together, the;outer surfaces of the easings32 and 48 respectively are flush with one another on'all sides of the pen.

The rearward end section 14 is elongated and its outer housing or casing 48. atany cross-section taken at a right angle through the length of the pen is approximately circular and preferably exactly circular, except for a recess in the housing,fwhich latter is V-shaped at any of the cross-sections taken at a right angleto the axis of the pen, the axis being indicated at 64. The recess 60'is bounded by two convergent walls 74 of the edge of an opening inthe casing 48,"theedges- 74 converging to an apex at 88.

' At the .rearward end of I the pen each edge 74 is spaced aparta distance which is somewhat less than the diameter of the entire housing 48 so that when the pen is looked at from the rear, a V-shaped rearward end of the recess 60 isseen, the edges of the walls of the recess 60 joining a flat, rearward end wall 96 of the pen at corners 98.

The bottom walls 90 are flat and planar and join each other along a line 92which tapers from the apex 88 to a point which is spaceda slight distance toward the recess 60 from a center point of theend wall 96, which latter is on the axis 64.

The recess 60 is lined with a ferrous. magnetizable liner 100, which latter has two forward parts 91 having on their upper surfaces forward portions of the walls 90, respectively, of the recess 60, and has a rearward part 102 which has on its rearward side the rear end wall 96, the walls 90 and 96'being attached together by being made integrallyof the same piece of stock, which latter is hollow on its underside as indicated at 120.

The liner 100 is actually a magnet since it has been magnetized and is preferably a permanent magnet.

The liner can be made of a plastic material having ferrous particles imbedded in it and magnetized.

The forward parts 91 of the liner 100 are flat on their v top sides and bottom sides, both. The liner 100 has its rearward part of much greater thickness, as measured transversely of the axis 64 of the pen than the relatively thin forward parts 91, whereby the rearward part 102 is actually in the form of a portion of a cylinder.

In FIG. 4, a backing or backing member 200 is shown having forward parts 210, each of which is disposed in a plane at an obtuse anglev with respect to each other and of a same angle as the planar undersides of the liner 100 so as to fit thereunder on the inner side of the pen and snugly against the underside of the forward parts 91 of the liner 100.

The backing member in FIG. 4 also has a rearward portion 230 having a flat rearward surface 235, which latter is adapted to fit snugly against the flat forward surface 125 of a rearward part 102 of the liner 100.

The rearward portion 235 of the backing member 200 of FIG. 4 extends downwardly a substantial distance from the under side of the forward parts 210 and the rearward portion 230 further has an external ledge 236 which is of the shape of a portion of a cylinder of the same size as the rearward part 102 of the liner 100 so that when the pen is assembled, as seen in FIG. 2,

with the liner rearwardmost, the backing member 200 forward of it and abutting its underside and also abutting its rearward part 102 on its forward surface 125, then the rounded surface 124 of the portion 102 of the liner 100 will be even with or flush with the surface 236 of the rearward portion 230 of the packing member 200, and also flush with adjacent rounded surfaces of the rearward section 14 of the pen.

Referring to FIG. 7, a modification of the pen of this invention is there shown generally at 300, having a forward portion 312 and a rearward portion 314. The forward portion 312 has a threaded recess 313 at its rearward end in which a constricted threaded'forward end 316 of the rearward portion 312 is fitted, as is the case in FIG. 2, which is a modification also. The difference between the modifications FIGS 2 and'7, however, is that the diameter of the assembled pen is lesser as measured at A at the rearward end of the forward section 312 than it is at B, which latter is a measurement across the rearwardmost end of the rearward portion 314. There is a substantial difference in dimensions at the point A and B and the reason for this is to make it possible for the rearward section 314 to be quite substantially larger in cross section in those areas of it which bound its 360 which latter is formed in the same way as the recess 60 of FIG. 2 whereby surfaces or bottom walls 390 of the recess 60 form the boundaries of a wider recess 360 and larger recess 360 than is the case with the recess 90 of FIG. 2, so as to straddle a selector lever 12 adequately in the event it is of substantial size in diameter, and also to accomplish the secondary purpose of maintaining the forwardmost portion of the pen 200 of FIG. 7 of a small enough diameter for fitting comfortably in the fingers. The modification of FIG. 7 has a magnetizable liner 400 which except for size, as above described, is of similar construction to the liner 100 of FIG. 3.

The modification of FIG. 7 further has a backing member 332 which is of substantially the same shape as the packing member 200 of FIG. 4 with only the exeption that it is wider in cross section just as the magnet member 400 is wider in cross section than the magnetic member 100.

In operation and as best seen in FIG. 1, the magnetic pen 10 shown with its recess 60 receiving the top of an elongated cylindrical selector lever 12 of an automobile, whereby the pen is magnetically held thereto by the engagement of the magnetic surfaces of the bottom walls of the recess 60.

When the modified pen 300 of FIG. 7 is put in the same place on the selector lever 12 it will appear substantially as seen in FIG. 1, except that it will, of course, overlap the sides of the selector lever 12 to a greater extent, giving a somewhat better grip.

Referring to FIG. 6, the underside of a metallic dashboard member of an automobile, is there shown at 400, with the pen 10 clinging thereto by means of having the pen 10 vertical with its rear end wall 96 in engagement with the metallic dashboard member 400.

I claim:

1. A magnetic writing instrument comprising a forward section and a rearward section, writing means at the forward tip of said forward section which will leave writing on paper as said tip is moved across paper, magnetic means attached to said writing instrument adapting it to cling to a surface containing ferrous metal, and in which said rearward section is provided with a recess in a side wall thereof, said recess being elongated from its forward to its rearward end, the rearward end of said writing instrument having a notch in one side thereof which latter has edge means at the rearward end of said writing instrument, said recess having side walls which join said edge means of said notch, whereby said writing instrument can be rested on a cylindrical portion of an automobile gear selector lever with portions of the lever in said notch and in said recess, said recess and notch both being wider at their outer portions than at their inner portions so as to substantially receive said lever without distortionof said rearward section.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said magnetic means has a portion at the rearward end of said writing instrument whereby said writing instrument can be suspended from its rearward end by magnetic engagement of the rearward end of said writing instrument with a ferrous surface thereabove.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which the rearward end of said instrument is substantially greater in crosssectional size than a mid-portion of said instrument.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which at least a portion of said magnetic means is formed of a thermoplastic material having in it magnetic particles.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the majority of the outer surface area of said writing instrument and, with the exception of said thermoplastic material portion thereof, being formed of an alloy of iron.

6. The combination of claim 1 in which the majority of the outer surface of said writing instrument is magnetic.

9. The combination of claim 1 in which the rearward end of said instrument is substantially greater in crosssectional size than a mid-portion of said instrument.

10. The combination of claim 1 in which said recess has right and left side walls, said side walls being planar and being inclinedly disposed with respect to each other at an obtuse angle. 

1. A magnetic writing instrument comprising a forward section and a rearward section, writing means at the forward tip of said forward section which will leave writing on paper as said tip is moved across paper, magnetic means attached to said writing instrument adapting it to cling to a surface containing ferrous metal, and in which said rearward section is provided with a recess in a side wall thereof, said recess being elongated from its forward to its rearward end, the rearward end of said writing instrument having a notch in one side thereof which latter has edge means at the rearward end of said writing instrument, said recess having side walls which join said edge means of said notch, whereby said writing instrument can be rested on a cylindrical portion of an automobile gear selector lever with portions of the lever in said notch and in said recess, said recess and notch both being wider at their outer portions than at their inner portions so as to substantially receive said lever without distortion of said rearward section.
 2. The combination of claim 1 in which said magnetic means has a portion at the rearward end of said writing instrument whereby said writing instrument can be suspended from its rearward end by magnetic engagement of the rearward end of said writing instrument with a ferrous surface thereabove.
 3. The combination of claim 2 in which the rearward end of said instrument is substantially greater in cross-sectional size than a mid-portion of said instrument.
 4. The combination of claim 1 in which at least a portion of said magnetic means is formed of a thermoplastic material having in it magnetic particles.
 5. The combination of claim 4 in which the majority of the outer surface area of said writing instrument and, with the exception of said thermoplastic material portion thereof, being formed of an alloy of iron.
 6. The combination of claim 1 in which the majority of the outer surface of said writing instrument is magnetic.
 7. The combination of claim 1 in which the majority of the outer surface of said writing instrument is formed of a thermoplastic material having in it magnetic particles.
 8. The writing instrument of claim 1 in which a metallic backing is disposed across the inner side of a substantial portion of said thermoplastic material for increasing its magnetic attraction.
 9. The combination of claim 1 in which the rearward end of said instrument is substantially greater in cross-sectional size than a mid-portion of said instrument.
 10. The combination of claim 1 in which said recess has right and left side walls, said side walls being planar and being inclinedly disposed with respect to each other at an obtuse angle. 